Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

I think Simon brought up a good point. Siobhan will have a lot of haters because of that performance. I personally didn't appreciate her performance last night. It was a polarizing performance. You will love it or hate it. And these polarizing people tend to make it far. How many haters you have doesn't matter this early on. It caught up to Adam last year but the polarizing performances still got him really far.

Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

Originally Posted by RealityLovesMe;3857137;

I think Simon brought up a good point. Siobhan will have a lot of haters because of that performance. I personally didn't appreciate her performance last night. It was a polarizing performance. You will love it or hate it. And these polarizing people tend to make it far. How many haters you have doesn't matter this early on. It caught up to Adam last year but the polarizing performances still got him really far.

I understand what you're saying, but I think what got Adam far was his talent - not his polarizing performances.

Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

Actually, I was ambivalent about Siobhan's "Paint It Black". I didn't hate the performance, the vocal was okay but not unforgettable, the scream was a vocal non sequitur, on the other hand her hair and outfit was rather cute. I wouldn't compare her to Adam Lambert - Adam was all about the drama and the big vocals, but it came off as being natural for him whereas with Siobhan it's just a little off. If they were in the same top 12, Adam would make her look as vanilla-flavoured as Kris Allen. Take away her piercings and her tats and she's a sweet little four-eyed moppet with a pretty voice. She's better than most of the girls - not better than Crystal Bowersox and perhaps not better than Lily Scott, either - but being the best of a weak bunch isn't the same as being great. She's not making AI must-see TV this season.

Another issue I had with "Paint It Black" was the arrangement itself, which was too stage-y for me. Mick Jagger is a great showman, but the Stones' music is as straight-up bluesy rock 'n' roll as you can get. For that reason, I think Casey should have gotten more credit for his number - he looked good, sounded good, and stayed true to the song without it being a karaoke version.

All my life, I have felt destiny tugging at my sleeve.~ Thursday NextI don't want to "go with the flow". The flow just washes you down the drain. I want to fight the flow.- Henry RollinsAll this spiritual talk is great and everything...but at the end of the day, there's nothing like a pair of skinny jeans. - Jillian Michaels

Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

I think Siobhan is out of this world! I have a little trouble with the Adam comparisons - I find them somewhat insulting to Siobhan. For one thing, this girl is a total original. For another, she has, in my opinion, better vocal control - she has a great range and can really belt out some mind-blowing notes, but she doesn't go to the "bad place" that Adam went so many times that made my toenails curl. Finally, she's not nearly as impressed with herself as Adam appeared to be, which I find much more appealing.

Siobahn is a standout in her own right and should be credited for just that, not compared to last year's runner-up.

Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

She's been wowing American Idol fans for weeks! Siobhan Magnus is a 20-year-old Cape Codder who has found the perfect blend of quirkiness and star power. She’s a woman with her own sense of style, and a voice that is bringing down the house!

“She has the kind of voice you don't hear everyday. She has incredible range, outstanding just stage presence, everything about her. She just has the “it” thing going on,” said Stephanie Gianno, Siobhan's best friend and un-official Cape-Cod Press Secretary.

The two grew up in Marstons Mills and have been locked at the hip since grade-school. She was in the audience the night the top-24 performed and now gets Idol updates from Hollywood twice a week. Stephanie says Magnus is locked in, even if Simon thinks she's a little unusual. “I think he's right, I think America might think she's a funny little thing, they never know what she's going to do next, and the cool thing about her being odd or weird as he said, is that she does it right,” Stephanie said.

And no moment showcased that more than Siobhan rendition of Aretha Franklin's song "Think." All it took was one note, “she did learn how to sing that note in the shower, singing Kelly Clarkson and uh, that definitely was a turning point in her vocal career,” Stephanie said.

“When she hit that note during "Think",I was in my living room, and a big smile came over my face and I went, ‘they don't know she's got more than that because she can go even higher than that’,” said Barnstable High Drama Club Coach John Sullivan, who has worked with Siobhan for more than ten years in 36 different productions. He has been casting her in leading roles as early as the 7th grade, everything from Mabel in Pirates of Penzance to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

“I've had people who are unbelievable actors, but as far as singers, 32 years she's the best I've ever seen,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan says Magnus is unflappable; never nervous, always focused, sincere to the core, and that genuine emotion is reflected in her music and always has been.“ She sang a song called ‘A Change in Me’ in Beauty in the Beast when she was a freshman, and every night she'd sing and I'd be in the back ….(tear). One night I was sitting next to a costume person and went like, ‘I can't believe I'm’ and I looked and she was crying too. She just has a beautiful voice,” he said.

“There's signs, there's talking. It's just every night she performs, everyone’s like ‘did you see Siobhan?’ And it's like ‘I missed her I fell asleep, what song did she sing?’ You know? And everyone's like I voted 300 times last night,” said Barnstable High junior Greg Gianno.

“How many times do I vote? Oh man as fast as my fingers can text and my phone can call. I just redial and redial,” Stephanie said.

Siobhan has certainly won over Massachusetts. Now that she’s in the Top-12 we'll get a better idea how the rest of America feels. Her old Drama Coach isn't worried one bit.

“If she sings the right song and gets everybody you know going, then yeah, she's going to take it…but she's got the voice to win she's got the voice to win, without a doubt in my mind,” said Sullivan.

Ultimately it's all about votes! But with that voice you can bet this New Englander won't be coming home anytime soon!

Re: Siobhan Magnus Season 9

As I write this, there have been four live performances and the first studio recordings (from Rolling Stones night) have been released. And I have to say this: I can't imagine any other endgame to Season 9 other than Siobhan winning the title.

That's a pretty strong opinion, I know, but what cemented this thought in my mind is hearing her recording (not the performance) of Paint It Black. Everything that was questionable in the performance is gone in the recording, which leaves me knocked over by:

The purity of her tone. There are hints of Deborah Harry and Linda Ronstadt in her sound.

The range of her voice - she has the belty rock chick alto and a lovely upper range, which is on display this week and also the first week on Wicked Game.

Her musical taste - Wicked Game was tastefully restrained; Think was an all-out diva-fest; Paint has a mesmerizing combination of tender, almost lullaby-like mourning and full-out wailing grief.

The drama - Siobhan knows how to squeeze "the moment" (as Simon likes to call it) out of a song.

The personality - she's fascinating. We can't figure her out.

Crystal is currently the front runner. She came in to the show a more fully developed performer. I think Crystal will continue to do well and have a fine recording career. But at this point we have seen most of what Crystal has to offer.

Siobhan has just scratched the surface. Hearing her voice, I can't think of a genre of music at which she wouldn't excel. She's already done a country feel with Wicked Game. There is no doubt that she can nail disco or Broadway. Every style that may come up and give Crystal fits, is a no-brainer for Siobhan.

If you like Siobhan, I highly recommend listening to her studio recordings on iTunes as they become available. The microphone loves this voice, and she has a great recording career ahead, in my opinion.